Browse Articles

Enantioselective Vinyl Radical Addition to Aldehydes via Dual Chromium Catalysis

ABSTRACT Achieving stereocontrol in radical‐mediated transformations remains a fundamental challenge, with the enantioselective manipulation of highly reactive vinyl radicals being particularly elusive. Here, we report a dual catalytic system that synergistically merges chiral chromium catalysis with organophotoredox catalysis to address this challenge. This platform enables a three‐component, enantioselective 1,2‐dialkylation of alkynes, directly converting simple alkyl radical precursors, alkynes, and aldehydes into axially chiral allylic alcohols with high efficiency, diastereoselectivity (up to >20:1 dr), and enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee). Preliminary mechanistic and computational studies support a mechanism involving a photoredox‐generated radical cascade, wherein a transient vinyl radical achieves a highly stereoselective carbonyl addition controlled by a chiral chromium catalyst. This work establishes a distinct radical‐based disconnection for the concurrent construction of axial and central chirality, providing a catalytic and stereocontrolled alternative to the classical Nozaki–Hiyama–Kishi reaction and opening new avenues for enantioselective radical chemistry.

The influence of structural variants from 2445 pigs on gene expression and complex traits

In Situ Amplified Mutational mRNA Imaging Using a Spatially Confined CRISPR Nanoplatform

ABSTRACT Highly sensitive spatial analysis of RNA mutations is essential for understanding cellular heterogeneity and disease mechanisms. Herein, we developed an integrated CRISPR/Cas13a‐based nanoprobe system for rapid detection of RNA in tissue sections ( In tegrated CRISPR/ Cas 13a‐based RNA R apid D etection, InCasRD). Unlike conventional “always‐on” probes that rely on accumulated probe hybridization, InCasRD leverages the trans‐cleavage activity of Cas13a to achieve spatially confined signal amplification and a high signal‐to‐background ratio (SBR). Using InCasRD, we achieved imaging of multiple target RNAs in tumor cells within 0.5 h of incubation, including mRNA ( survivin ), microRNA (miR‐21), and circular RNA (circ1785). Furthermore, the engineered InCasRD system enabled mapping of RNA mutations, such as the EGFR L858R and ovarian tumor domain ( OTUD ) single‐nucleotide variant (SNV, 23439980 G>T), in tumor tissue sections, thereby facilitating clear tumor boundary delineation. Collectively, InCasRD is a powerful, one‐step tool for in situ RNA analysis with potential for diagnosis and precision medicine.

Balancing energy, water, and ecology through renewable energy transitions in the Yellow River Basin

Synthetic ion channel inhibitors enhance plant drought tolerance

Abstract Drought stress significantly threatens global food security. According to the FAO2024, agriculture absorbs up to 80% of drought impacts. Stomata are vital pores for gas exchange and transpiration in plants. Stomatal closure, which is crucial for drought tolerance, is regulated by ion transport systems. Here, we identify two inhibitors of plasma membrane voltage-dependent potassium (K + ) channels, NS5806 and UA49, that induce stomatal closure, reduce guard cell K + levels, and increase drought resistance in Arabidopsis plants. This chemical-induced stomatal closure pathway is distinct from the abscisic acid (ABA). Notably, K + channel inhibition led to increased cytosolic Ca 2+ , which was absent in K + inward channel mutants, highlighting the link between K + channel activity and cytosolic Ca 2+ elevation. These findings suggest that the chemical regulation of K + channels represents a strategy to induce stomatal closure, potentially improving plant drought tolerance through targeted interventions.

Single-fraction or multi-fraction stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy followed by atezolizumab in advanced triple-negative breast cancer: a randomized phase II trial

Nonvolatile nematic order manipulated by strain and magnetic field in a layered antiferromagnet

Flexible organic thin-film transistors for all-in-one retinomorphic acceleration enabled by inorganic-organic heterogeneous dielectrics

Abstract Organic neuromorphic visual sensors promise to overcome the limitations of conventional image sensors, but a trade-off between efficient charge transport and charge trapping has hindered the development of interfaces that combine efficient optical sensing and non-volatile memory. Here we show that an inorganic-organic heterogeneous dielectric (Al 2 O 3 /PAA), fabricated by low-temperature plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition and spin-coating, enables flexible thin-film transistors with integrated sensing-memory-processing functions. The devices exhibit an average mobility of 22.65 cm 2  V −1 s −1 , a 30 µs optical response to 450 nm light, charge retention exceeding ten years, write/erase endurance over 10 4 cycles, an electrical response down to 130 ns, and stable multilevel programming at 10 µs. They emulate synaptic plasticity and achieve recognition accuracies of 99.49% (gesture), 94.78% (digit) and 92.56% (face). When integrated with a convolutional neural network accelerator, the system demonstrates real-time, interference-resistant face detection, highlighting the potential of this dielectric architecture for flexible neuromorphic vision systems.

Probing entanglement scaling across a quantum phase transition on a quantum computer

Abstract The investigation of strongly-correlated quantum matter is difficult due to the curse of dimensionality and intricate entanglement structures. These challenges are particularly pronounced in the vicinity of continuous quantum phase transitions, where quantum fluctuations manifest across all length scales. While quantum simulators give controlled access to a number of strongly correlated systems, the study of critical phenomena has been hampered by finite-size effects arising from diverging correlation lengths. Moreover, the experimental investigation of entanglement in many-body systems has been hindered by limitations in measurement protocols. To address these challenges, we employ the multiscale entanglement renormalization ansatz (MERA) and implement a holographic scheme for subsystem tomography on a fully-connected trapped-ion quantum computer. Our method accurately represents infinite systems and long-range correlations with few qubits, facilitating the efficient extraction of observables and entanglement properties, even at criticality. We observe a quantum phase transition with spontaneous symmetry breaking and reveal the evolution of entanglement properties across the critical point. For the first time, we demonstrate log-law scaling of subsystem entanglement entropies at criticality on a digital quantum computer. This achievement highlights the potential of MERA for the investigation of strongly-correlated many-body systems on quantum computers.

Ordered Ionic‐Liquid Channels Enable Fast Anhydrous Proton Conduction at up to 240°C for Fuel Cells

ABSTRACT Intermediate‐temperature electrochemical technologies offer a range of important advantages but require high‐performance and robust anhydrous proton exchange membranes. Herein, we demonstrate that confinement of phosphonium‐, imidazolium‐, and sulphonium‐based ionic liquids (ILs), within channels formed by stacked monolayers of boron nitride and graphene nanosheets functionalised with polyethyleneimine, provides robust and effective proton conductivity while suppressing bulk diffusion of the IL ions. We propose that the positively charged nanosheets might induce spatial ionic ordering, anchoring anions near the channel walls while concentrating protons and cations along the central region to establish parallel, continuous pathways for rapid proton transfer under anhydrous conditions. The resulting solid‐state composite membranes exhibit stable anhydrous proton conductivities of up to 10 −2 S cm − 1 at 240 ± 1°C, outperforming many existing IL‐based and polymer‐based systems. When integrated into hydrogen‐oxygen fuel cells, the [EMIM][NTf 2 ]‐based membrane enables a peak power density of 82 ± 5 mW cm −2 under anhydrous conditions at 240 ± 1°C and atmospheric pressure. In a broader context, this work presents a strategy for the design of membranes with properties tailored to a specific application, which can be achieved by tuning chemical structures of the confined IL and/or functional layers within the 2D channels.

Stiff interlocked nanoclay aerogels for synergistic detection and removal of organic contaminants in water

Modeling CO ₂ Hydrogenation to Methanol on an Ensemble of Inverse ZrO ₂ on Cu Catalytic Sites: Mechanism, Reactivity, and Deactivation

ABSTRACT Inverse ZrO 2 /Cu catalysts, where Zr oxide is deposited on Cu particles, show a high catalytic performance converting CO 2 to methanol. We employ density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the CO 2 hydrogenation reaction mechanisms on a model of highly dispersed Zr oxide clusters on Cu (111). The exploration is not performed on a single active site configuration but across an ensemble of 83 formate configurations accessible under reaction conditions. Detailed reaction‐pathway analysis reveals that structural sensitivity is pronounced, and only 10 of the catalyst configurations are significantly active across the full pathway. The turnover frequency of the studied inverse structures is largely determined by reaction steps after methoxy formation, rather than the formate hydrogenation steps, and the energy of the methoxy intermediate is a key reactivity descriptor. Two hypotheses are presented for the ensemble average activity: where the probabilities of site populations are determined at the formate intermediate, or at the methoxy resting state. The latter, compared to the former, drastically changes the site distribution, eliminating active structures and decreasing the average rate by a factor of 1000. Catalyst rigidity helps maintain activity by slowing down the structural evolution from the more active formate‐bound states to the less active methoxy‐bound states.

The Dendritic Cell-based Vaccine PROTEXI leverages Antiviral CD4 T cell Memory to boost anti-tumor immune responses in mice

Host-derived lactic acid disrupts IFN efficacy via antiviral inhibition and proinflammatory amplification

Direct electrosynthesis of acetamide from CO2 and nitrate via an atomically engineered dual-site catalyst

Personalized Phage Therapy in an ICU Patient with Polymicrobial Pulmonary Infections: a case from a single-arm trial

β-cell FMO3-produced TMAO prevents NF-κB-mediated senescence and inflammation in ageing and diabetic conditions

CmDREBa regulates the perennial growth habit of chrysanthemum in response to prolonged chilling

Immunological maladaptation preceding spontaneous preterm birth in human pregnancies

Abstract The majority of spontaneous preterm births (sPTB) occurs without identifiable clinical indications or apparent risk factors. A dysregulated maternal immune adaptation at delivery has been associated with sPTB. Yet, a precise understanding of maternal immune dynamics preceding sPTB remains lacking. Here we show, in a nested case-control study within a low-risk, population-based pregnancy cohort, that an abnormal immune adaptation in mothers’ blood precedes sPTB by weeks to months and discriminates sPTB cases from term controls (AUROC: 0.7). Prominent features include enhanced immune cell responses to an adrenergic stimulus during the first and second trimesters, followed by increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the third trimester in sPTB vs. term pregnancies. Transcriptome analysis of second trimester single-cell CD4 + T cells reveals a Th17-skewed, neuroactive-protein responsive phenotype in sPTB pregnancies. Our study provides a multi-omics resource and a conceptual framework for early identification of individuals at increased risk for sPTB with broad translational implications for advancing targeted preventive measures.

Nematic and chiral superconductivity emerging within the loop-current phase in kagome metals

Abstract The kagome metals A V 3 Sb 5 ( A  = Cs, Rb, K) host multiple symmetry-breaking phases, including charge-density-wave and loop-current orders, and exhibit highly exotic superconductivity with pronounced nematicity and chirality. Remarkably, even dilute impurities transform this exotic superconducting state into an isotropic s -wave state. These observations pose a challenge to existing theoretical scenarios. We show that loop-current order induces nematic chiral d -wave superconductivity in kagome metals. The loop-current-induced orbital magnetization (OM) stabilizes one chiral superconducting channels. This OM-chirality coupling mechanism is generic and applies to pairing driven by either attractive or repulsive interactions. Furthermore, coexisting loop-current and bond orders give rise to pronounced nematic chiral superconductivity even for an almost C 6 -symmetric Fermi surface. For attractive pairing, dilute impurities suppress the chiral state and restore a conventional s -wave phase, as observed experimentally. The theory further predicts a robust 2 × 2 pair-density modulation. This study provides key insights into time-reversal-symmetry-breaking exotic superconductivity in kagome metals.